Michelle (UR) - New month, new project idea

Originally I was going to attempt to build a filter using alginate, in an effort to remove microplastics from water. While I still believe in this attempt, it was brought to my attention that a filter may have already been created for this purpose. I have not found any information on it yet, but I've decided to move from a filter to other uses for alginate.
As Allie mentioned in an earlier post, plastics take many years to degrade, and they never completely go away. Since alginate is an extract of seaweed, I have decided to attempt to make cups and plates that are truly disposable. I would like to mold them using alginate, and test their ability to hold food/drink compared to plastic, as well as testing for any taste differences. Should this work out, I would like to also simulate a landfill to measure how long it takes for the alginate to break down.
I have high hopes for the potential of this material. My mind has been rattling off different possibilities should this project idea work. Perhaps someone in a later class could continue those?

Alginate: derived from seaweed

 
The Seaweed Site. (n.d.) Alginate production in Ireland. Retrieved from http://www.seaweed.ie/uses_ireland/irishalginateprod.php